Can-capping machine.



No. 724,240. BATBNTED MAR. 31,1903;

1?. L. BAKER, GAN GAPPING MAUHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT-.9, 1902' no monnn.- s'snim'rswnrmi.

PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903 F. L. BAKER. 'G AN GAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 9, 1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2 K0 MODEL.

No. 724,240. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903 F. 'L. BAKER.-

CAN GAPPIN'G MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9. 1902. NO MODEL. 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3 No. 724,240.PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903. F. L. BAKER.

CAN GAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 9, 1902. U0 MODEL. 6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

NITED STATES ATENT Enrica.

FRANK L. BAKER, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO REMING TON MACHINECOMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORA- TION OF DELAWARE.

CAN-CAPPIMG Macs-nus.

srncrrrcarron formingpart of Letters Iatent No. 724,240, dated Maren e1,1903. Application filed October 9, 1902- Serial No. 126,495. (No model.)

To all w it may concern: ingaspecialarrangementof can-wipingbrlisli Beit known that I, ERANK L. BAKER, aciti- .zen of the United States, and aresident of Wilmington,Delaware, have invented certain Improvements inCan-Capping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of certain improvements in that class ofcan-capping'machines known as contin nous-capping machines, in whichrows of filled and capped cans are successively moved into position tobe acted upon by a row of soldering-irons, my invention comprisingcertain mechanism whereby the cans are lined up into rows and these rowssuccessively fed forward to the soldering: irons and also certainmechanism whereby the filled cans in their passage through the machinefirst have their tops cleaned and then have acid applied to the cappedtops of the cans inorder to facilitate thesubsequent solderingoperation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of thatportion of the machine which handles the cans while they are beingsoldered, this view showing also the means employed for discharging fromthe machine the cans'having soldered caps, part of the mechanism forfeeding to the machine the cans having unsoldered caps, and the devicesfor applying acid to the capped cans. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thatportion of the machine which handles the cans before they reach thefeed-trough shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3is an elevation of the mechanismshown in Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow as. Fig. 4 is aside elevation of he conveying mechanism shown in Fig. 1 looking in thedirec' tion of the arrow y, this View also illustrating the solderingdevices of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 1, also.

illustrating the soldering devices. Fig. 6 is a view, partly in sectionand partly in elevation, of the devices for applying acid to the cans.Fig. 6 is a detached view of one of said parts. Fig. 7 is a detachedview of one of the elements of said acid-applying device. Figs. 8 and 9are views of a can-spacing device sometimes used in connection with themachine, and Fig. 10 is a plan viewillustratsometimes employed.

' 1 represents the fixed frame or table of the machine, mounted uponsuitable legs, and

upon said frame and legs are bearings for a series of shafts 2, 3, 4, 5,6, and 7, referred to hereinafter.

The shaft 2 is the driving-shaft and is provided with pulleys 8 forreceiving the driv ing-belt, these pulleys being clutched to or released from the shaft 2 by manipulation of a lever 9, so as to readilystart and stop the machine. The shaft 2 has a spur-pinion 10, whichmeshes with a spur-wheel 11 upon the shaft 3, the latter constitutingthe cam-shaftof the machine,.and said shaft 3 also has a bevel-wheel 12,which meshes witha bevelpinion 13 on the shaft 4, said shaft 4 having achain-wheel 14, which by means of a chain belt 15 drives a similarchain-wheel16 on the shaft 7.

Upon the shafts 5 and 6 are mounted so as to turn freely skeleton drumsor chain-wheels 17, which engage with bars 18, connecting the links 19of an endless chain, and upon this chain are mounted open-endedcan-trays 20, each constituting a pair of angle-bars facing each otherand secured to the links of the chain at such distance apart as toaccommodate between them a row of cans. Intermittent movements, each tothe extent of one of these links, are imparted to the tray-carryingchain 19 by means of a cam 21 on the shaft 3, said cam acting upon anantifrictionroller carried by a lever 22, which is connected by a rod 23to a lever 24, the latter being secured to a rock-shaft 25 and the rod23 having swivel connection with both levers 22 and ing-irons 31,whereby the caps are soldered to the cans.

The soldering mechanism contains no special features of novelty. Henceonly a brief description of the same will be necessary.

The stems 32 of the soldering-irons are retated by means of collars 32,engaging pins 33, which project from inclined tooth-wheels 34, meshingwith similar wheels 35 on a trans verse shaft 36, which has achain-wheel 37, driven by a chain 38 from a chain-wheel 39 on thedriving-shaft 2, as shown in Fig. 5.

The soldering-irons are heated by gas or vapor burners 40 and haverising-and-falling movement-s imparted to them by a bar 41, which isvertically reciprocated by cams 42 on the shaft 3, said cams acting uponrollers carried by vertically-guided rods 43 at opposite ends of themachine.

The solder in wire form is drawn from spools 44 on an elevated table orplatform 45 48 and carrying a pawl 55, whichengages with theratchet-wheel. A lever 56 serves to hold this pawl out of engagementwiththe ratchet-wheel whenever it is struck by a col lar 57 on one of thesoldering-iron stems when said soldering-iron has been permitted todescend to an abnormal extent by reason of the fact that no can has beenfed underneath the same, whereby there will be no feed of solder to thesoldering-irons unless a row of cans has been properly fed beneath thesame to be soldered.

The soldered cans are carried away from the machine by means of anendlessslatted belt 60, which is driven from'the shaft 2 by means of aninclined tooth-wheel 61 thereon, said wheel engaging a wheel 62 on ashort shaft 63, which carries a chain-wheel 64, engaging an endlesschain belt 65, the lattr driving a chain-wheel 66 on a shaft 67, whichhas another chain-wheel 68, engaging with the links of the endlessslatted belt 60, so as to cause continuous movement of the latter. Therows of soldered cans are fed from the successive trays 20 onto theendless deliveryof the shaft 7 in respect to the intermittent movementsof the tray-carrying chain 19 being such that a complete row of cans canbe removed from a tray 20 onto the endless delivery-belt 60 by theaction of one of the fingers 70 during one of the intervals of restbetween the successive movements of the traycarrying chain 19.

In order to prevent deflection of the inner run of the chain 71 andmaintain the" same parallel with the row of cans which is being pushedfrom a tray 20 by thefinger 70 of the chain, said inner run of the chainis engaged by an angle-bar 78, Fig. 5, which is suitably mounted uponthe fixed frame of the machine and not only serves to vertically supportthe inner run of the chain 71, but also as a backing for said run of thechain, and prevents the same from being pushed outwardly by the strainupon it. Upon the transverse shaft 7 is another chain-wheel 80, which bymeans a chain 81 drives a chain-wheel 82, carried by a shaft 83, whichis adapted to suitable hearings on a table or platform 84, mountedalongside of the main frame 1 of the machine and carrying one end ofafeed-trough 85, the otherend of said trough being mounted upon the mainframe and terminating adjacent to and in line with the successive? trays20 of the chain 19 during the intervals 61? rest between successivemovements of the chain, so that cans can be fed from said trough 85 ontoeach of the trays 20 in succession.

The filled cans to which the caps have been applied are conveyed to themachines by means of an endless slatted belt 86, to which movement isimparted by the shaft 83, said shaft having'a chain-wheel 87 for thereception of a chain belt 88, which drivesa chainwheel 89 ona shaft 90,having a chain-wheel 91, Fig. 3, which engages with the links of theendless slatted feed-belt 86. The cans are delivered by the feed-belt 86between a pair of inclined guide-rails 92 93, whereby belt onto thetable 84 and into the path of fingers 94, carried by an endless belt 95,these shown in Fig. 2.

The inclined guide-rail 92 is fixedly mounted on the table 84; but theguide-rail 93 is pivoted at is receiving end and is acted upon byaspring 96, so that it presses the cans toward the guide-rail 93 with ayielding pressure, and thus accommodates different-sized cans orinequalities in cans of the same size.

The endless belt 95 is mountedupon chain wheels 97 and 98, carried byvertical shafts 99 and 100, the shaft 99 being mounted in iixed hearingson the fixed table 84- and the bearings of the shaft 100 beingadjustable, so as to keep said chain under proper tension.

The shaft 99 is driven from the shaft 83 through the medium ofintermeshing spurthey are laterally deflected from said feedwheels 101,102, and 103, the latter being secured to a shaft 104, which has abevel-pinto fillone of the trays has entered the.

- shaft, and this shaft 109 also has an inclined ion 105, meshing with abevel-wheel 105 on the shaft 99, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The cans fed into the receivingend of the trough-S5 by theyaction of thefingers 94 are pushed along in said trough by contact with each otheruntil a number of cans suflicient trough, whereupon a finger 106 on thefeedbelt 81 engages the lowest can of the set and moves the whole setforwardly onto the tray during one of the periods of rest of thetraycarrying chain 19.

Oertain'ofthe fingers on the belt 95for in stance, thosenumbered 94arethicker than the others, whereby after a certain number of cans havebeen fed onto the trough 85 the series will be moved forward at a rateslightly greater than the normal by the action of one of the fingers94*,tberebyinsuring sufiicient space between successive series of cansfor the proper action of the fingers 106. 7

While the cans are being fed along the trough 85 they are acted upon bya wipingbrush 107 and a pair of wiping-brushes 108, the wiping-brush 107rotating arounda horizontal axis above and parallel with the centralline of the row of cans and. the brushes 108 rotating around verticalaxes each above and at right angles to the center line of the row ofcans, these brushes serving to remove from the tops of the cans and fromthe grooves into which the flanges of the caps project any materialwhich may have'been inadvertently deposited thereon or therein, so as topresent the cans in a clean condition to the acid-ap: plying devices,presently to be described.

The horizontal shaft 109, which carries the brush 107, is mounted insuitable bearings above the table 84 and has a vpulley 110 for receivinga belt "from any adjacent drivingtooth-wheel 1.11, which drives asimilar wheel on a vertical shaft 112, thelatter having a belt-pulley113, which receives a belt 114. This belt 114 passes around anidler-pulley 115and thence around pulleys 116 upon tubular shafts 117,through which pass the shafts 118, carrying the brushes 108.

The shafts 118 can play vertically in the tubular shafts 117, but arecompelled to rotate therewith.

Pins 119 re carried by the shafts 118 and are supported by springs 120,contained within the shafts 117, so that the brushes 108 are normallyretained in position clear of the tops of the cans which are being fedalong the trough 85. Each shaft 118 is, however, engaged by the forkedend of a lever 121, hung to a bracketat one side of the bearing whichcarries the shaft 118, and each of these levers has at the lower end anantifrictionroller 122, adapted to contact with the side of a can whichis being fed along the trough 85, the lower end of the lever 121 beingthereby pushed outwardly, so as to depress the brush 108 onto the top ofthe can. By means of this device the brush 108 is brought into the upperend of the tube 129.

contact with the top of the can only when the center of the same isdirectly beneath the center of the brush, thereby insuringa properaction of the brush in cleaning out the groove surrounding the cap.

In most cases it is preferable to dispose the brush 107 with its axisdiagonal to the line of travel of the line of cans, so that thecontact-line of each brush will cover a width equal to the diameter of acan, whereby the entire top of each can will be swept clean by the brushas the can travels beneath the same, as shown in Fig. 10. The brush 107in this case is carried by a shaft 107*, driven from the shaft 109 bymeans of bevel-gears 107 and 107 or other means which will permit of theangular disposition of the two shafts. As the cans are fed along in thetrough 85 acid is applied to the top of each can by means of mechanismshown in Figs. 1, 5, 6, and 7 and which I will now describe. A rod 125,projecting upwardly from a bracket 126 on the having at the bottom adelivery-tube 129, with valve 130, whereby the area of the passagethrough said delivery-tube can be regulated. That portion of thedelivery-tube 129 which is within the acid vessel 128 and projects abovethe bottom of the same is surrounded by a slotted sleeve 131, (see Fig.6%) carrying a packing-block 132, which when the sleeve ism its normalor depressed position closes The sleeve 131 is connected to the lowerend of a weighted rod 133, suitably guided in a cross-bar 134 in the topof the acid vessel, and this weighted rod is acted upon by theforkedend. of a lever 135, fulcrumed in a bearing on the top of the acidvessel, as shown in Fig. 5, the outer end of said lever being connectedby a rod 136 to an arm 137 on a rock-shaft 138., which at its lower enda projecting rod 141, with a curved shoe 142, thelatter normally projecting into the path of a row of cans which is being fed along the trough85, as shown in Fig. 5.

The end of the arm 137 engages with a slotted arm 143 on a shaft 144,which is mounted in a bearing in the bracket 139 and has anotherarm-145, carrying a brush 146, the latter,

when the parts are in the normal position,-

(shown in Figs.5 and 6,) being directly beneath the outlet oftheacid-delivery'pipe 129. A can traversing the feed-trough 85 strikesthe curved shoe 142, and in pushing the same out of its path swings thelever 140 in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, this having the doubleeffect of lifting the sleeve-valve 131 and swinging downward the brush146. As i the valve 131 is lifted acid flows from the vessel 128 throughthe slots of the valve and into the tube 129, and a few drops of thisacid are delivered onto the brush 146 as the latter swings downwardly,the acid being applied by the brush to the top of the can when the brushis brought into contact with the latter at the bottom of its downwardmovement.

In practice the machine will be designed to act upon cans of the largestdiameter and the soldering-irons will be so disposed in the machine thattheir centers will be separated to an extent equal to the diameter ofsuch largestsized cans, each of the trays being of such length as toreceive a certain numbersay twelve-0f such large-sized cans when thelatterare in contact witheach other, and the longitudinal guide-bars150, which laterally confine the rows of cans as the same are beingcarried forward by the can-trays 20, will be just far-enough apart toreceive between them the proper number of such large-sized cans. Inoperating upon cans of smaller diameter, therefore, a given number ofsuch smaller cans will not completely fill the cantray 20, and thecenters of such small cans will not be in line with the centers of thesoldering-irons as the row of cans is fed forwardly by the tray-carryingchain 19. In order to adapt the machine for operating uponsuchsmall-sized cans, therefore, some means must be employed forseparating the cans one from another until the center of each can is inline with the centerof the soldering-iron which is to'act upon it. Forthis purpose I employ a series of fingers 151, depending from atransverse bar 152, these fingers passing between the cans of a rowwhich is being carried forward by one of the trays 20 and having theelfect of pushing the cans laterally, so that when the row of cans haspassed beyond the fingers each can is separated from its neighboring canto the desired extent, such separating action of the fingers beingillustrated in Fig. 8, which shows a row of cans in contact with eachother before being subjected to the action of the separating-fingers,and also shows the position of the cans after they have left theseparating-fingers. Each of the separating-fingers is by preferencebeveled at the forward end, and the fingers are disposed at differentangles in respect to the row of cans, as the movement of the cans iscumulative from one end of the row to the other. Thus if the second canhad to be separated from the first to the extent of a half-inch thethird can would have to be separated to a like extent from the secondand would therefore have to be moved to the extent of an inch and thefourth ban would have to be moved for an inch and a half, and so on.

Each of the separating-fingers 151 has a stem 153, adapted to atransverse slot 154 in the supporting-bar 152, as shown in Fig.9, saidstem being threaded for the reception, of a confiningnut 155, wherebythe fingers can be adjusted laterally on the supporting-bar to suit cansof different diameters and the angle of each finger in respect to theline of travel of the cans can be varied so as to cause said finger toseparate the cans to a greater or less extent, depending upon thediameter of the cans.

A machine of the character described is automatic in its action, theonly attendance required being the supplying of the cans to thefeed-belt 86 and the removal of the cans from the delivery-belt 60.

Having thus described myinvention,lclaim and desire to secure by LettersPatent--- 1. The combination in a can-capping machine, of an endlesschain of open-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forwardmovements to said chain, with a dwell between successive movements, anda continuously-moving feed-belt for pushing rows of cans onto thecan-trays in succession during the periods of rest of the tray-carryingchain, substantially as specified.

2. The combination in a can-capping machine, of an endless chain ofopen-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movementsto said chain, with periods of dwell between successive movements, and acontinuously-moving belt having projections thereon for pushing rows ofcans from successive can-trays during the intervals of movement of thechain, substantially as specified.

3. The combination in a can-capping machine, of an endless chain ofopen-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movementsto said chain, with intervals of dwell between successive movements, aniutermittently-actin g device for feeding rows of cans onto successivecan-trays during the intervals of movement of the tray-carrying chainand a continuously-acting can-feeder for delivering cans to saidintermittently-actin g feeding device, substantially as specified.

4. The combination in a can-capping machine, of an endless chain ofopen-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movementsto said chain, with intervals of dwell between successive movements, anintermittently-acting device for pushing rows of cans from successivecan-trays during the intervals between successive movements of thetray-carrying chain, and a continuouslymoving delivery-belt upon. whichthe cans are deposited by said intermittently-acting pusher,substantially as specified.

5. The combination in a can-capping ma chine, of an endless chain ofopen-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movementsto said chain, with intervals of dwell between successive movements, andan intermittently-acting device for pushing the rows of cans fromsuccessive can-trays during the intervals of movement of the latter,said device comprising an endless chain with projecting fingers thereon,and a bar for supporting the acting run of said chain, substantially asspecified.

6. The combination in a can-capping machine, of an endless chain ofopen-ended cantrays, means for impartingintermittent forward movementsto said chain,with intervals of dwell between; successiveimovements,andan intermittently-acting: device for pushing the rows of cans fromsuccessive ..-can trays--- 5 during the intervals of movement of the.lat-.

ter, said device comprising an endless chain' with projecting fingersthereon, and a bar for supporting the acting run of said chaimsaid baralso serving as a backing-for said run-of imparting intermittent forwardmovements.

to said chain, comprising: areciprocatedicarrier having a'weightedpaw-lfor engaging said transverse rods, and a cam and intervening mechanismfor reciprocatingsaid pawl-carrier, substantially as specified.

9. In a can-capping machine, the combi nation of an endless chain ofopen-ended cantrays, means for imparting intermittent forward movementsto said chain, with a dwell betweensuccessive movements,a feed-troughwith which the successive can etrays: are.

brought into alinement, and an endless chain having fingers forengaging-the rearmost of row of cans fed into said trough and pushingthem from said trough, onto thezcan'a-traygin line therewith,substantially as specified,

10. In a can-capping machine, the combination of a feedetrough, anendless chain having fingers for engagingwith the rearmost of a row ofcans fed onto the trough, and a second feeder having fingers foracting-upon individual cans and movingthem successively into the trough,substantially as specified.

11. In a can-capping machine, the combi- I nation of a feed-trough, anendless chain having fingers for engaging with the rearmost of a row ofcans fed ontothetrough, and asec- 0nd feeder having fingersufor actingupon individual cans andmoving them successively into the trough, someof said fingers being;

thicker than others,substantially as specified.

12. In a can-capping machine, the combination of a feed-trough, anendless chain hav: ing fingers for feeding a row of; cans bodily forwardthrough said trough, a second feeder having fingers for acting uponindividual cansand moving them into said trough, and an endless conveyorfor delivering the cans to the fingers of said second feeder,substantially as specified.

55 13. In a can-capping machine, the combination of an endless conveyerfor feeding cans, a feeder having fingers for acting upon 'endless-conveyer andviincliined inrespected:

successive cansrfedtto-it, and a;deflector prov-1 jectingover saidiend-less ---c0nveyer-; and: .i n1, clined in respect-to thepath-ofitravel of'ithesame, whereby,- asi-the cans:-are.. carried feriward bythe-conveyor, they will engageealist deflector and; will]bepnshed.th'erebyglateraltyu from the conveyer and i into-therpathixotthe feeding-fingers, substantial-11y 1&8 s pecifiede 14. In acanrcappingygmachineythe combianation of an endless: conveyerfor-rfeed-ing. cans, a feeder havingfingersfor actingaupom; successivecans-fed'to-rit,and-'aninclined-derfiector .forpushingjthetcansr-laterali s saidendless feeder andyintottl'repatpushing-fin ge'rs, said tdeflectorrbein yield, but being, heldtnormally,V y giontact with the cans, substantial-lyaasspe ed. M y 15. Inacan-capping;machine th" coin nation of an:endlesstconveyerr'forrthegcans with a, pair ofdeflectorsprojectingtovensai "the path oftravel of :thersam'e wlierebyithe cans are carried forw-a zdl y ,byttlre nov veyer, they willengage:said.v deflectors be thereby pushed vlaterally -fromntheacnimnveyer, and a. supporting-table for: receiving:thecans;thusdischargedrfromxthesconveyer, 5 substantially,assspecifiedi-Y 16. Ina can-capping;machine,the-,combi nation of an endless coniveyen-for, the ca.ns,: and a pair of inclineddeflectors-forapnshing the canslaterally fromsaid endlessconveyer onto thesupporting-table; oneaof saiddeflectors being fixed and the: otherbeingvpivoted. and acted u-pon-ibya yielding:pusher subr stantiallyasspecified;

17;In a. can-capping machine, ,thes-combi: nationtot arr acid ivessel, aswinging brush anz-acid-idel-ivery pipe, and a reciprocating valveconsistin got aslotted- :sleeve ,aembraca ingv that portion of theidelivery-piperwhichiis. i within the acid vessel, saidisleevei having anplug for closing 1 the-wmouthof the, delivery pipe,substantiallya'stspecifiedt 18. In a can-cappingmach'ne tthewcomzbianation of can-feeding devices anacid: vessel, a swinging brush,meansflfor deli veringtacidto said brush, and lever mechanism forswinging said brush, one of the leversthavinga shoe which is adapted tocontact xdirectly with' the sides of the: cans as theyares-uccessively,- fed forward, substantiallypas specified.

19. In a can-capping-machine, v.the combii-l nation of means for feedingcansforwardlyin succession into the machine, an acid vessel, a swingingbrush a valve for 'controlling: the fiow of acid from! the vessel onto.-the brush,v a shoe projecting intotthe path of the-cans, and meanswhereby the deflection of said shoeby the cans: is caused :toeffectsimultaneous op eration of the acid-valveand swinging of theacid-brush, substantially est-specified.

20. In a can-capping machine, the combi: nation of forwardly-movingcan-trays each. carrying a row of cans, with separating-fingersindependentof said trays and'disposed;

above the same so as to be interposed between the cans as they arecarried forwardly by the trays, said fingers serving to move the cans ofeach row laterally apart from each other as they are thus carriedforwardly, -snbstanseparate the cans of the row, onefrom another in thetray, said fingers being mounted so as to be laterally adj nstable inrespect one to another, substantially as specified.

22. In a can-capping machine, the combination of mechanism for movingforwardly a row of cans, with separating-fingersinterposed between thecans as they are carried forwardly, and serving to laterally separatethe cans of the row, one from another, said fingers presenting aprogressively-increasing angle in respect to the forward line ofmovement of the cans, substantially as specified.

23. In a can-capping machine, the combination of mechanism for movingforwardly a row of cans, with separating-fingers interposed between thecans as they are'carried forwardly and serving to laterally separate thecans of the row, one from another, said fingers being adjustablymounted, whereby their angle in respect to the forward line of movementof the cans can be varied, substantially as specified.

24. In a can-capping machine, the combination of mechanism for movingforwardly a row of cans, with separating-fingers interposed between thecans as they are carried wforwardly, and serving to laterally separatethe cans of the row, one from another, said fingers being mounted so asto be laterally adjnstable in respect to each other and so as tochangetheir angle in respect to the line of forward movement of thecans, substantially as specified;

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK L. BAKER. Witnesses:

WM. R. CLARK, CHARLES GREEN.

